Freak Show

Billy Bloom was free while he lived with his mother; he chose his own clothes, wore make up and explained it to nobody. When she can no longer care for him he moves in with his father in a conservative area and starts at a high school there. He is a target from the first day. He is beaten, mocked, and things are written on his locker. Billy does not give up his clothes; he goes further. Then he makes a decision: he stands as a candidate for homecoming queen. The most popular girl in the school is against him and the campaign begins. Trudie Styler directs; it is her first feature. Alex Lawther plays Billy; AnnaSophia Robb, Ian Nelson, Bette Midler and Celia Weston are in the cast. The source is James St. James's novel. The matter it treats is visibility; Billy refuses to hide and the narrative shows the price. It does not reduce Billy to the position of victim; the humour comes from the character's own language. The costume design works inside the narrative; every outfit is a decision and the film builds it that way. Alex Lawther's performance carries the picture. Its limit is register; the passages between the violence at school and the fairy tale sections are abrupt and some parts too flat. Another limit is the script; supporting characters stay thin and the ending gathers itself quickly. Who it is for: viewers who like drama about the young and narratives built on identity. Who it is not for: the bullying scenes are hard, the register uneven, and the resolution may be found easy.